Rohit Sharma unlikely to feature in England Test series, Team India to travel with new captain and vice-captain for five-match outing: Report

India ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah will reportedly be the frontrunner to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain for the upcoming five-Test match series against England which is scheduled to start from June 20. The report further stated that the legendary pacer doesn’t seem to be a long-term option given his nagging fitness concerns.

As per the news agency PTI, There are very less chances that Rohit will travel to England for the five Tests and the 31-year-old Bumrah will certainly be leading the team in the first Test at Headingley if all goes well.

Bumrah who picked up 443 wickets across formats in just 204 games captained India in two Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and he was also awarded player of the series with 32 scalps, highest by an Indian on foreign soil.

There is no guarantee that there won’t be more breakdowns for Bumrah during the next WTC cycle from June 2025 to June 2027 now that he is on the wrong side of the 30s. The subsequent recovery period also increases when one grows older.

Hence, the selectors might be tempted to have a plan B ready which is another equally strong captaincy candidate, who can be groomed as vice-captain.

“For me, it is a very simple thing. You look at the data and find who is a sure-shot pick in Test cricket. Bumrah has played 45 Tests and Pant has 43 Tests. He is 27 now and by the time he was only 23, he had singlehandedly won India, one of its greatest Tests at the Gabba. He is a match-winner, a good sounding board for bowlers and should be the vice-captain,” former national selector Devang Gandhi said.

Another former India keeper Deep Dasgupta that Bumrah can’t be a long-term solution as Test captain given his bowling workload.

“It is not just the marquee series (England, Australia) that we are talking about. In between Test matches, there will be ICC events where Bumrah’s presence is a must. Like this year, it is the Champions Trophy and next year it will be T20 World Cup. He is managing it well by not playing bilaterals but nearer to events, he would need to. Then the bowling workload becomes paramount. Don’t forget two months of IPL,” Dasgupta explained.

“So even as Bumrah starts as next Test captain, there is a need for a strong vice-captain and yes Pant fits the bill,” he said.

Both felt that Jaiswal should not be burdened with vice-captaincy considering that he will spearhead India’s batting challenge in coming days and there is still some time before the establishment can think of him in a leadership role.